Through substrate vias (TSVs), such as through silicon vias, are used to provide connections in integrated circuits (ICs). For example, a main application of TSVs in radio frequency (RF) ICs is the connection of various components, such as shunt capacitors and shunt inductors, to a back plane metallization or conductive plane, which can serve as an electrical ground.
A shortcoming, however, of inserting TSVs in the IC is the production of stress in the substrate due to differences in the coefficients of thermal expansion between the material of the TSVs and the substrate material. This thermally induced mechanical stress has been found to increase as the number of TSVs in a die increases. Moreover, this stress commonly results in issues such as die cracking that can impact the yield and reliability of the IC manufacturing process.